What are you doing to improve you chances?

[Corinna]

Hi everyone.

I have posted a few messages over the past few days. I've only just found this site and I love it! Just scanning through a few past posts has given me so much information and inspiration!

Anyway, here I am again, asking for more advice and feedback.

DH and I are starting ICSI in July. We're just waiting for consultation app to come through. I have lost both my tubes due to 2 ectopics and DH also has low sperm count. I have a 13 year old daughter from a previous relationship (concieved naturally). I am 30 and DH is 38.

Anyway, as we have 3 months before treatment in likely to start, I want me & DH to be in prime health to give ourselves the best chance of a BFP!
I will tell you what we are both doing (& planning to do) and I'd like to know whether you think I'm going OTT and whether it'll actually have a negative effect:

Me: Reduced smoking from 20 per day to 5 a day (& plan to stop!)
Drinking 2 litres of water a day. Taking Marilyn Glenvilles fertility + tablets with extra linseed oil. No drinking alcohol during the week and just having a few glasses of wine at the weekend. I have lost 3 stone recently so my diet is pretty good already. Only drinking 1 cup of coffee per day. Also, I plan to have a liver detox week (recommended in Zita Wests book) about 3 weeks before down regging. After that, I'm gonna move to a high protien diet. During stimms I'm gonna have accupunture and also just before ET and just after ET. During the 2ww, I'm going to take baby asprin and doing absolutely nothing!!!

DH: Reducing smoking from 20 per day to 5 a day (and he WILL stop!). No drinking alcohol during the week and just having a few glasses of beer at the weekend. Improving his diet. Reducing caffiene intake. Taking daily Wellman vitamins.

What do you think? Too much?? What are you all doing??

Any ideas or feedback would be great!!

[032323]

HI CORINNA

I THINK THE CHANGES AND ADDITIONS THAT YOU ARE MAKING FOR A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE CAN ONLY HELP YOUR CHANCES.

I AM STARTING TREATMENT THIS MONTH (5TH ICSI ATTEMPT! BUT NOTE MY AGE) AND AM DOING THE SAME AS YOU WHICH IS SOMETHING I HAVENT DONE IN 4 PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS - SO FINGERS CROSSED.

LIKE I SAID THE VITAMINS AND ACUPUNCTURE CAN ONLY HELP. SO GOOD LUCK TO US BOTH EH!!

[Corinna]

Hi Caz,

Good luck to you . I'm especially keen to try the accupunture. I've heard so many positive stories about it improving egg quality, keeping FSH levels down and helping the embies stick! We've gotta do all we can!!

[Mel_P]

Hi Corinna,
You sound like your onto it! Way to go. That BFP is right around the corner. Dont want to dollop out advice, but couple of things I was going ot mention ... Dont forget the folic acid need it upto 3 months before conception and should be 800 mg a day.

Walking and mild excersize are all good, esp if your not stimming or on meds and okay to get your heart rate up, I have my own theory that good increased circulation goes a long way too. My CM last year (chinese medicine doctor) told me I was very damp in that area (??) and needed to improve my circulation, so something I made a point of trying to do.

I heard very good stories and positive results on acupunture too Good luck with that.

Have you heard of "Better Babies" by francesca naish? Its a fairly inconic book (speicially in [in]fertility circles over this neck of the woods. Bit military in the whole organic dont do this that and the other, but some okay nutrition advice if you read with a big pinch of salt.

Anyway most of all wishing you heaps of luck! Spring is in there air, and this year is the year! Good luck to you both. You both want it, your minds want it, your bodies want it, and that little embby wants it! Gonna happen!

M

[Corinna]

Thanks for the advice and inspiration Mel. I noticed that you got a BFP this month. WELL DONE!!!!

[032323]

HI MEL

THANKS FOR THE ADVICE!!

YES YOU ARE CERTAINLY AN INSPIRATION TO ALL THE LADIES WITH FROSTIES WAITING TO TRANSFER!!

GOOD LUCK WITH THE PREGNANCY!!!

[anamika]

Corinna, good luck!!

One another thing which helped me this time was regular yoga and meditation to keep my nerves calm. I am a hypothyroid patient and practicing specific exercises really helped me. inspite of that there were times where I would go crazy, fight with hubby for no good reason

Acupuncture would be very beneficial. In my case, first 2 cycles i produced 16 and 15 eggs but, only 1 and 2 were fertilized. This time around, i changed my diet to include more proteins, veggies ( i am a vegetarian) and also acupuncture twice weekly. Out of 15 eggs, 10 were fertilized and went for day 5 transfer.

Good luck!!